Captain Awkward and I answered some letters by Alison Green on March 15, 2021 A year ago, right before the lockdown, Jennifer of Captain Awkward and I met up for drinks and ended up collaborating on some letters. A year later … maybe with the end of the pandemic in sight? … we’re doing it again, minus being in-person and minus the drinks. Our topics this time: A boss who keeps […] Read the full article →
my terrible boss asked for feedback — should I be honest? by Alison Green on March 2, 2021 A reader writes: My boss, Kate, has asked for feedback. The thing is … she is not a good manager. She doesn’t respond to questions asking for feedback or our requests for documents that we need to complete our work. Then she throws a temper tantrum that we didn’t do X thing in the way […] Read the full article →
my boss told me I’m “not a good human” when I asked to be paid for my time by Alison Green on March 1, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a professional firm that has a long history of devaluing non-partner contributions. Let’s just say we have problems: • The pay structure for employees is all risk and no reward. Salaries are artificially low, below market, supposedly because of our bonus structure. • If clients don’t pay, that comes […] Read the full article →
should I report to someone with less education than me? by Alison Green on March 1, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a major content creation company and the story of my professional life is that I have had to take jobs I was underqualified for to help out family and take care of some personal issues in the past. I have an MFA in digital media and an MBA in […] Read the full article →
my boss called me “disgusting” for not cleaning up my male coworkers’ mess by Alison Green on February 22, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a medical facility (think live-in treatment or residential care). I share a desk with the night and weekend staff, “Jim” and “Dwight.” I’m an administrator, and the desk and surrounding area need to be neat and tidy during the day because of the type of work I do. I’m […] Read the full article →
I was used as a public example of what not to do at a team meeting by Alison Green on February 15, 2021 A reader writes: Today we had our monthly team meeting, in which our managerial team usually chooses one topic to discuss and instruct the rest of the team on. Let’s say the work we do is llama grooming and today’s instruction was about the tone we use when writing the llama grooming documents. My grandboss, […] Read the full article →
when I asked for a raise, my boss went through my bills by Alison Green on February 9, 2021 A reader writes: I’ve been in my job for a little over a year. I asked my boss for a raise, and he asked if I really need it. It stumped me, seeing how I am barely getting by. I said yes. He went over my bills, and at the end he said, “You’ll have […] Read the full article →
my boss won’t talk to me and gave me a document of anonymous criticism by Alison Green on February 8, 2021 A reader writes: Recently I went to a coworker for advice on an issue I was having with my boss. He doesn’t do one-on-ones with me and doesn’t really talk to me outside of team meetings, though I’ve tried to ask for advice/direction and am usually met with “figure it out.” We’re both new to […] Read the full article →
I have to read my boss’s emails … including ones about the love nest he’s setting up to cheat on his wife by Alison Green on February 2, 2021 A reader writes: This is from a while back and no longer a current concern, but I would be interested in your perspective on how I should have handled it. As the executive assistant for a very busy VP, one of my responsibilities became inbox management: having full access to the VP’s inbox, sent items, […] Read the full article →
I’m furious that my boss refused to interview my partner by Alison Green on February 1, 2021 A reader writes: My company encourages candidate referrals. I referred my domestic partner to a full-time, permanent position on my team. There wouldn’t be a conflict of interest since i would not be his supervisor. We would have the same supervisor. His skills and experience were a great match and he was contacted by a […] Read the full article →